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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our exploitation of the living wealth of the sea, which constitutes more than 70% of the world&rsquo;s surface, is longstanding. Today, several industries have emerged from our mining of the ocean&rsquo;s resources, based on bioactives from marine microbes; hydrocolloids, antioxidants and essential fatty acids from microalgae and seaweeds; and biomaterials, such as coral skeleton and collagen for human body repair. Marine-derived compounds have been proved to have great potentials as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic and especially antimicrobial agents since their modes of action are often completely unrelated to terrestrial biochemistries, and, therefore, are able to overcome human and animal pathogen and cancer-cell defense mechanisms. Moreover, the incidence of obesity, has dramatically risen in recent years and many epidemic studies have shown that a prevalence of obesity-related diseases is lower in seafood-consuming population, suggesting a beneficial role of marine foods against obesity. It is believed that some functional ingredients in marine foods account for their anti-obesity effect. Antioxidant pigments (lutein and carotenoids), glucosamine, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals (calcium and magnesium) are also nutritionals from marine sources. On the other hand, marine molecules are expected to contribute strongly to cosmetics as well, because of increasing interest in antioxidants, anti-ageing and skin protection. Therefore, marine bioresources are expected to give rise to &lsquo;marine biotechnology&rsquo; products, particularly functional ingredients for nutritionals, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

This Special Issue of Marine Drugs on &ldquo;Marine Products for Health and Beauty&rdquo; welcomes submission of previously unpublished manuscripts from original work or reviews on all the above aspects, including chemistry and biological activity of chemopreventive and anti-obesogenic compounds, marine products used in cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals, health and beauty product development and innovation. We plan to receive submissions until 30 October 2017.

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

3,6-Anhydro-l-galactose (AHG), a major monomeric constituent of red macroalgae (Rhodophyta), was recently reported to possess skin whitening activity. Moreover, AHG-containing oligosaccharides, such as agarooligosaccharides (AOSs) and neoagarooligosaccharides (NAOSs), have various physiological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin moisturizing effects. In this study, AHG and NAOSs were produced from agarose by enzymatic reactions catalyzed by an endo-type β-agarase, an exo-type β-agarase, and a neoagarobiose hydrolase. In a cell proliferation assay, AHG, AOSs, and NAOSs at 12.5, 25, and 50 μg/mL concentrations did not exhibit cytotoxicity toward murine B16 melanoma cells or human epidermal melanocytes. In an in vitro skin whitening activity assay of AHG, AOSs, and NAOSs at 50 μg/mL, AHG showed the highest skin whitening activity in both murine B16 melanoma cells and human epidermal melanocytes; this activity was mediated by the inhibition of melanogenesis. Neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose also exhibited in vitro skin whitening activity, whereas neoagarobiose and AOSs with degrees of polymerization of 3 (agarotriose), 5 (agaropentaose), and 7 (agaroheptaose) did not. Therefore, AHG is responsible for the skin whitening activity of agar-derived sugars, and the structural differences among the AHG-containing oligosaccharides may be responsible for their different skin whitening activities.
Full article

In the present work, a fluorescent H2O2 biosensor was constructed by encapsulating fluorescent probe Rhodamine B (RhmB) in the hydrophobic cavity of the cyclodextrin (β-CD) and immobilizing catalase (CAT) on the 2-NH2 of chitosan (CTS) in a chitosan 6-OH

In the present work, a fluorescent H2O2 biosensor was constructed by encapsulating fluorescent probe Rhodamine B (RhmB) in the hydrophobic cavity of the cyclodextrin (β-CD) and immobilizing catalase (CAT) on the 2-NH2 of chitosan (CTS) in a chitosan 6-OH immobilized β-cyclodextrin derivative (CTS-6-CD). The inclusion complex of CTS-6-CD to RhmB (CTS-6-CD-RhmB) was prepared by a solution method. Its structure and inclusion efficiency were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and fluorescence spectroscopy (FL). CAT was immobilized on CTS-6-CD-RhmB to eventually form the functional membrane, CTS-6-CD-RhmB-CAT, via glutaraldehyde crosslinking, which was further characterized by FTIR and FL, and used as a H2O2 biosensor. The functional membrane was used to simultaneously oxidize and detect H2O2. The detection condition was optimized as pH 8, a reaction temperature of 25 °C, and an immobilized enzyme concentration of 2 × 10−4 mol/L. The fluorescence response of the biosensor exhibited a good linear relationship with the concentration of H2O2 in the range of 20 mΜ–300 μM and the detection limit of 10−8 mol/L.
Full article

Pseudomonas stutzeri 273 is a marine bacterium producing exopolysaccharide 273 (EPS273) with high anti-biofilm activity against P. aeruginosa PAO1. Here, the complete genome of P. stutzeri 273 was sequenced and the genome contained a circular 5.03 Mb chromosome. With extensive analysis of the genome, a genetic locus containing 18 genes was predicted to be involved in the biosynthesis of EPS273. In order to confirm this prediction, two adjacent genes (eps273-H and eps273-I)encoding glycosyltransferases and one gene (eps273-O) encoding tyrosine protein kinase within the genetic locus were deleted and biosynthesis of EPS273 was checked in parallel. The molecular weight profile of EPS purified from the mutant Δeps273-HI was obviously different from that purified from wild-type P. stutzeri 273, while the corresponding EPS was hardly detected from the mutant Δeps273-O, which indicated the involvement of the proposed 18-gene cluster in the biosynthesis of EPS273. Moreover, the mutant Δeps273-HI had the biofilm formed earlier compared with the wild type, and the mutant Δeps273-O almost completely lost the ability of biofilm formation. Therefore, EPS273 might facilitate the biofilm formation for its producing strain P. stutzeri 273 while inhibiting the biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa PAO1. This study can contribute to better understanding of the biosynthesis of EPS273 and disclose the biological function of EPS273 for its producing strain P. stutzeri 273.
Full article

A new ergosterol analog, talarosterone (1) and a new bis-anthraquinone derivative (3) were isolated, together with ten known compounds including palmitic acid, ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one, ergosterol-5,8-endoperoxide, cyathisterone (2), emodin (4a), questinol (4b), citreorosein (4c), fallacinol (4d), rheoemodin (4e) and secalonic acid A (5), from the ethyl acetate extract of the culture of the marine sponge-associated fungus Talaromyces stipitatus KUFA 0207. The structures of the new compounds were established based on extensive 1D and 2D spectral analysis, and in the case of talarosterone (1), the absolute configurations of its stereogenic carbons were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The structure and stereochemistry of cyathisterone (2) was also confirmed by X-ray analysis. The anthraquinones 4a–e and secalonic acid A (5) were tested for their anti-obesity activity using the zebrafish Nile red assay. Only citreorosein (4c) and questinol (4b) exhibited significant anti-obesity activity, while emodin (4a) and secalonic acid A (5) caused toxicity (death) for all exposed zebrafish larvae after 24 h.
Full article

Human skin is constantly exposed to damaging ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which induces a number of acute and chronic disorders. To reduce the risk of UV-induced skin injury, people apply an additional external protection in the form of cosmetic products containing sunscreens. Nowadays, because

Human skin is constantly exposed to damaging ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which induces a number of acute and chronic disorders. To reduce the risk of UV-induced skin injury, people apply an additional external protection in the form of cosmetic products containing sunscreens. Nowadays, because of the use of some chemical filters raises a lot of controversies, research focuses on exploring novel, fully safe and highly efficient natural UV-absorbing compounds that could be used as active ingredients in sun care products. A promising alternative is the application of multifunctional mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which can effectively compete with commercially available filters. Here, we outline a complete characterization of these compounds and discuss their enormous biotechnological potential with special emphasis on their use as sunscreens, activators of cells proliferation, anti-cancer agents, anti-photoaging molecules, stimulators of skin renewal, and functional ingredients of UV-protective biomaterials.
Full article

There is a rapid increase in the demand for natural hypopigmenting agents from marine sources for cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Currently, marine macroalgae are considered as a safe and effective source of diverse bioactive compounds. Many research groups are exploring marine macroalgae to

There is a rapid increase in the demand for natural hypopigmenting agents from marine sources for cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Currently, marine macroalgae are considered as a safe and effective source of diverse bioactive compounds. Many research groups are exploring marine macroalgae to discover and characterize novel compounds for cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. Many types of bioactive secondary metabolites from marine algae, including phlorotannins, sulfated polysaccharides, carotenoids, and meroterpenoids, have already been documented for their potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Among these metabolites, phlorotannins from brown algae have been widely screened for their pharmaceutical and hypopigmenting effects. Unfortunately, the majority of these articles did not have detailed investigations on molecular targets, which is critical to fulfilling the criteria for their cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical use. Very recently, a few meroterpenoids have been discovered from Sargassum sp., with the examination of their anti-melanogenic properties and mechanisms. Despite the scarcity of in vivo and clinical investigations of molecular mechanistic events of marine algae-derived hypopigmenting agents, identifying the therapeutic targets and their validation in humans has been a major challenge for future studies. In this review, we focused on available data representing molecular mechanisms underlying hypopigmenting properties of potential marine brown alga-derived compounds.
Full article